Rueben Randle, the team's second-round pick out of LSU has been up and down this season but could still provide a spark the team's sluggish passing attack could use in the stretch runRobert Sabo/New York Daily News

The Giants’ passing game is waiting to break out again. So is Rueben Randle.

The rookie wide receiver was a star at Bastrop High School in Louisiana. At LSU, he averaged more than 17 yards per catch and pulled down eight touchdowns in his final season, even while playing in a run-oriented offense.

But the Giants’ second-round pick has found that the NFL is challenging, and that has kept him humble, to use both of his words. Each week his top concern is earning the trust of his coaches and quarterback Eli Manning, but his eye is always on becoming a spark for the offense.

“Especially when you’re used to doing that,” Randle said. “In college, when they needed a play, they threw me the ball. So right now, that’s (where) I’m trying to get to here in this offense, and maybe that picks things up here.”

With the Giants’ once-potent pass attack in a slumber, held without a touchdown pass the past three games, and opponents doing all they can to take away Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, it’s a good time for a player like Randle to emerge.

But as is often the case for rookie receivers, especially in an advanced offense like the one the Giants use, it’s a process. The Giants identified Randle, who declared early for the draft, as an NFL-ready receiver, and even discussed taking him with the first-round pick that was ultimately used on running back David Wilson.

Randle had a lot to learn, from the scheme, to the adjustments Manning and his receivers must make in unison, to what it means when football becomes your job.

That last area was emphasized by NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth, who said on the national “Sunday Night Football” broadcast of the Giants-Eagles game that “Randle’s work ethic has been questioned a bit with the Giants.”

“He didn’t come in knowing how to be a professional,” receivers coach Kevin M. Gilbride said. “It’s a long day for these guys as far as how they go about their business and try to prepare for an opponent, and if you haven’t been through it in a professional setting, it’s different. There’s always a little bit of shock to a rookie in that regard.”

More than halfway through Randle’s rookie season, Gilbride said the young receiver has made important strides — and needs to continue in order to help the team down a critical stretch.

“He’s getting better,” Gilbride said. “He’s really improving in that area, whether it’s his level of focus, or his level of understanding, and his understanding of what it takes to be ready for a game.”

Randle’s opportunities have been up and down. He played a large role against the Browns in Week 5, when Nicks and Ramses Barden were out with injuries, leading the team with six catches for 82 yards. The past few weeks, the coaches have found places to get Randle on the field.

If Domenik Hixon’s ankle injury keeps him out, that could continue, though Randle and Barden got chances as the No. 3 receiver against the Bengals after Hixon left the game.
Randle has had big plays — his 56-yard catch at Dallas last month — but also missed opportunities, two notable ones in the loss to the Steelers. On an early third-down play, he turned around too late for a back-shoulder throw from Manning.

Later, he missed on another third-down throw, this time a fade route in the end zone in a favorable one-on-one matchup.

“I’ve got to make that play,” said Randle, who has 11 receptions for 158 yards this season. “I slowed down a little bit, looked back a bit too soon instead of just running. Have to continue to work on that, correct it, and make that play.”

Randle, who has also contributed as a punt returner and was praised by special teams coordinator Tom Quinn for his good decisions, said no one in the building ever spoke to him about Collinsworth’s comments. But it’s worth noting that when Randle listed the areas he’s trying to improve — releases off the line of scrimmage, reading coverages and route-running — he added, “and not being complacent at all.”

“I think I’m getting to a pretty good point, to where I can play a lot more, get more reliable for Eli and for the coaching staff to play me,” Randle said. “That’s how you get on the same page with the quarterback: Give the belief you’re going to catch the ball whenever he throws it to you. So that’s been my job these last couple weeks, is catching everything thrown my way.”